muller



R. L. MULLER RECORDING MACHINE Filed June 21 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov,25,

R. L. MULLER RECORDING MACHINE Filed June 21 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2zkommzrow VEN T 0/? was 2:9

Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBERT L. MULLER, OF DETROIT, MECHIGAN, ASSZGNOR T0 BURROUGHS ADDINGMACHINE COMPANY, 015 DETROIT, MICI-IZGAN, CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

RECORDING MACHINE.

Application filled June 21, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. llQlULLEK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording Mm chines, ofwhich the following is a specifica tion.

The invention relates more especially to recording mechanisms of addingmachine, tho-ugh not necessarily limited to this particular field, andpertains to the matter of socalled visibility, the object being to socontrol the paper on which printing is done by the machine that theremaybe presented to the view of the operator matter already carried upona form, such for example as the name of an employee, wit-h the paperadvanced beyond a position in which printing would be done upon it inassociation with such form-matter, the paper being then carried backwardso as to bring it to the proper position for such printing and then whenthe printing has been done again advanced to such extent as to carrysaid form-matter and the printed item associated therewith beyond theposition wherein it was first presented to the view of the operator andother form-matter, such as the name of another employee, brought toview. Mention has been made of names of employees because the inventionfinds one of its uses in facilitating the making up of a payroll upon aform bearing a list of the names of employees, such work beingfacilitated by reason of the fact that the name of each employee isbrought to the view of the operator in advance, enabling him to look upthe wage item and proceed to set it up upon the keyboard of the machineand thereupon operate the machine to print the wage item opposite thename of the employee, the paper being automatically fed backward for thepurpose and then, in the same operation of the machine, being advancedto bring to the View of'the operator the name of the next employee onthe list.

In the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification Fig.l represents a foreshortened broken perspective of a sutficient portionof the recording department of an adding machine of a well known type toserve for illustration of an adaptation thereto of this invention, the

Serial No. 390,360.

condition of the parts being that which obtains just as an operation ofthe machine starts; 2 is a left-side elevation of the same part of themachine on a somewhat larger scale and showing the parts at norviewillustrating the condition as an operation of the machine starts; Fig. 4is a like view illustrating the condition at the middle of a cycle ofoperation; 5 is a view of the same character illustrating a condition inwhich a certain pawl is disabled and the effective stroke of anotherpawl is curtailed so as to provide for ordinary single line spacing whenthe work in hand does not call for the automatic back-and-forth controlof the paper; Fig. 6 is a plan view of parts shown in the precedingfigures, with some of them broken away; and Fig. 7 represents an exampleof payroll work to which the in vention lends itself.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the numeral 2 designates the base and 3portions of frame side pieces of a Burroughs Visible adding machine, adrive shaft of which is designated by the numeral 4, and a countershaftby the numeral 5. through familiar operating connections with said driveshaft and carries the familiar arm 6 which normally engages a rollerstud 7 on an arm 8 secured to a paper fed rock shaft 9. A spring 10connects a branch of said arm 8 with another arm 11 on the shaft 5.Forward swinging of the operating arm 6 in the first part of anoperation of the machine disengages it from the roller stud 7 andresults in the pulling down of the arm 8. During the last part of anoperationof the machine, said arm 6 swings rearward and restores the armThis is the familiar action in these machines for effecting paper feed,the shaft 9 being arranged to reciprocate a pawl which coact with a.ratchet wheel on the roller platen 12. The latter is as usual journaledbetween side plates 13 of a suitable holder or carriage and has combinedwith it appropriate pressure rollers for paper feed purposes. In Fig. 1the reference letter P designates a strip of paper which may be drawnfrom a roll and is introduced back of the platen and passes The latteris oscillated (i ll under the same and around its front side and is thenled rearward through suitable guides.

In the carrying out of the present invention the roller platen isprovided with two ratchet wheels instead of one, the same beingdesignated respectively by the numerals 14; and 15. They are reverselyrelated to tooth formation, inasmuch as the outer ratchet 14 is to beused for turning the roller platen backward whereas the inner ratchet 15is to be used for turning said platen torwardly. On the aforesaidrocksha'lt 9 there are mounted and secured for oscil ation therewith apair of crank arms 16 and l'i', the former of which operates a pawl 18coacting with the ratchet wheel 1 1, and. the other of which crank armsoperates a pawl 19 coacting with the ratchet wheel 15. llach of thesepawls is pivoted to its crank arm and has its tail connected by a spring20 with a stud 21 projecting from the side plate of the carriage. Thenose of the pawl 18 is square on its rear side to adapt it for engagingthe teeth of the ratchet 1 1 for turning the. platen backwardly, whereasthe nose ot the pawl 19 is reversely fashioned tor turning the platenforwardly, functioning after the manner of the usual pawl. The crankarms 16 and 17 being normally at the end of their forward and downwardthrow, the two pawls occupy corresponding positions, their noses beingabout directly below the axis of the roller platen (Fig. 2). Both arenormally disengaged from their ratchets. In the case of the pawl 18 thisis caused by camming engagement between the rear end of a slot 23 in thepawl plate and a screw stud 2st secured in the side plate of thecarriage. In the case of the pawl 19 the condition is brought about bythe en gagement of a stud 25 on the crank arm 1.7 with the upper edge oithe pawl plate, all as illustrated in Fig. 2. The reason forestablishing this normal condition is the usual one, viz: thedesirability of leaving the roller platen free to be turned by hand. Theusual dolly roll on the spring-held lever 31 engages the inner ratchetwheel so as to properly regulate the roller platen. Now the first thingthat happens in an oper-- ation of the machine when the arm 6 moves fromunder the roller stud 7, is for the two pawls to be swung intoengagement with their respective ratchet wheels, (Figs. 1 and 3) andthen as the operation proceeds and these pawls are carried upward andl'iill' ward, the pawl 18 acts upon a tooth oi the ratchet wheel 14- toturn the roller platen rearward, while the pawl 19 is simply slippingover the teeth of the ratchet wheel 15. In the particular form ofembodiment ot the invention here illustrated the effective stroke of thepawl 18 is two tooth spaceszi oi the ratchet wheel or two line spacesupon the paper. The aforesaid slot 23 is of? the proper dimensions toprovide for this, its under side having a cam formation 23 to cooperatewith the aforesaid screw stud tor disengaging the nose of the pawl fromthe ratchet wheel after the above defined extent of backward movement ofthe platen has taken place. Fig. 2 shows the normal condition in whichan oblique part 23 of the upper or rear side of the slot 23 has beenforced upon the screw stud with the effect of swinging the pawl plateslightly on its pivotal connection with the crank arm 16, the said screwstud then seating in a small notch 23 in the upper part of said rearside of the slot. 1 and 3 illustrate the condition at the outset of theoperation when the crank arm 16 has been slightly elevated and the pawlspring 20 has swung the pawl until. the lower rear corner of its slot isengaged with the screw stud. Figs illustrates the condition at themiddle of the operation when the said crank arm 16 is at the end of itsinitial swing and the pawl 18 has turned the platen two line spaces andhas then been disengaged from the ratchet wheel 14 by reason oi":coaction between the cam 23 and the screw stud, the latter thenoccupying the narrow forward end of the slot in the cam plate.

Now the parts are so proportioned and related that in this first halfcycle of operation the other pawl 19 will have been carried back overfour teeth of the ratchet wheel 15 so that it stands ready to advancethe roller platen to the extent ot tour line spaces and will do so asthe operation proceeds and the crank arms 16 and 17 are swung back totheir normal positions. Of course the pawl 18 re-engages the ratchetwheel 14 but in its return movement this pawl slips idly over the teethof the ratchet wheel M.

As a concrete example of the practical uses of the invention let it beassumed that the adding machine is being employed for the purpose ofmaking up a payroll and that a strip of paper is introduced upon whichthere is printed a list of names of employees and that said paper isfirst adjusted to bring the first name on the list two line spacesbeyond the printing point, lhe operator observing this name looks up theamount of wage due this employee, sets it up upon the keyboard of theadding machine, and operates the machine to print that amount. As willbe clear from what has already been explained as to the mechanism, thefirst thing that happens is a backspacing" of the roller platen twosteps, which would of course result in bringing the first name 011 thelist to the printing line. The printin then takes place, as is usual, atthe middle of a cycle of operation of the addin machine.

Then as the operation of the machine continues the roller platen will beadvanced four line spaces which will cause the first name on the list,with the printed amount opposite it, to pass through the position itfirst occupied and two spaces beyond and will bring to View the nextname on the list. ()bserving this name, the operator looks up the amountof wage due this employee and proceeds as before. It will be obviousthat the automatic mechanism provided by the present invention willgreatly facilitate the carrying on of work of this character, doing awayentirely with the necessity, as heretofore, for working the platen backand forth by hand. Fig. 7 illustrates a partly completed payroll as itwould appear when operating the machine in the manner above described. Asimilar illustration appears in Fig. 1 with the work carried somewhatfarther.

It is of course desirable that a machine equipped with this automaticback-andforth line spacing mechanism shall nevertheless be available forordinary uses, and therefore provision is made for putting the backspacing pawl 18 out of commission and at the same time shortening theeffective stroke of the other pawl 19 so that it will simply do singleline-spacing as in ordinary work. To this end there is mounted upon thecarriage side plate a lever having a handle by which to manipulate itand. being formed with flange lugs 41 and 42, the former operating tolimit the preparatory throw of the pawl 19, and the other flange lugserving to hold the pawl 18 out of effective position. Fig. 5illustrates this device in use. It will be noted that the flange lug 41is there shown obstructing the crank arm 17 so as to limit thepreparatory or upward and backward movement of the pawl 19 and therebyrestrict it to movement taking its nose over a single tooth of theratchet wheel 15 so that in its return movement it will only advance theplaten a single line space. The other flange lug 42 has a down-turnedportion which engages the forward edge of the pawl plate 18 to preventthe nose of this pawl from engaging the ratchet wheel 14 at all. The twopositions of the lever 40- are made certain by the simple expedient ofpunching a detent formation in the lever at 44 and providing spaceddepressions 45 in the. carriage side plate, the resiliency of the metalout of which the lever is madebeing effective to cause the propercoaction between this detent and the depressions.

It will be understood that the invention is alike usable upon a machinein which the paper carriage is of the familiar laterallyshiftablecharacter. In such case a rock shaft of square cross-section is employed(such as shown, e. g., in Gardner Patent 1,223,379 issued April 24,1917) having the same function as the rock shaft here designated 9, suchrock shaft sliding through the hub of the arm 8 while the latter isconfined against lateral movement.

I claim:

1. In a. recording machine, the combina tion of a roller platen havingreversely re lated ratchet wheels; a rock shaft with crank arms; pawlspivoted on saidarms respectively; springs applied to the pawls; andmeans for rocking the shaft, one of said pawls adapted to turn theplaten backward during the initial stroke of the rock shaft, and theother pawl adapted to turn said platen forward and twice as far duringthe return stroke of the rock shaft; with pro visions for disengagingthe pawls from the ratchets at the ends of their respectiveplaten-turning excursions and also for disengaging one of said pawlsfrom its ratchet at the end of the idle excursion of said pawl.

2. In a recording machine, the combination of a roller platen havingreversely related ratchet wheels; a rock shaft with crank arms; pawlspivoted on said. arms respectively; springs applied to the pawls; meansfor rocking the shaft, one of said pawls adapted to turn the platenbackward during the initial stroke of the rock shaft, and the other pawladapted to turn said platen forward and twice as far during the returnstroke of the rock shaft; and a settable lever having a part to engageand hold out of action the first pawl and a part to limit the stroke ofthe other pawl.

3. In a recording machine, the combination of a roller platen havingreversely re lated ratchet wheels; a rock shaft with crank means; pawlspivoted on said crank means; springs applied to the pawls; a stationarypin; and means for rocking the shaft, one of the pawls adapted to turnthe platen backward during the initial stroke of the rock shaft andhaving a cam portion cooperating with said pin for disengaging such pawlfrom its ratchet wheel during the latter part of its platen-turningexcursion, and the other pawl adapted to turn said platen forward andtwice as far during the return stroke of the rock shaft; with provisionfor disengaging the last mentioned pawl from its ratchet at the end ofits platen-turning excursion.

4. In a recording machine, the combination of a roller platen havingreversely related ratchet wheels; a rock shaft with crank means; pawlspivoted on said crank means; springs applied to the pawls; a stationarypin; and means for rocking the shaft, one of the pawls adapted to turnthe platen backward during the initial stroke of the rock shaft andhaving cam portions cooperating with said pin for disengaging such pawlfrom its ratchet wheel during the latter part of its platen-turningexcursion and at the end of its idle excursion, and the otherpawladapted to turn said platen forward and twice as far during the returnstroke of the rock shaft; With provision for disengaging the lastmentioned pawl from its ratchet at the end of its platen turningBXCUI'SIOII.

5. In a recording machine, the combination of a roller platen havingreversely related'ratchet Wheels; a rock shatt with crank means; paWlspivoted on said crank means; springs applied to the pawls; a stationarypin; and means for rocking the shaft, one of the paWls adapted to turnthe platen backward during the initial stroke of the rock shaft andhaving a cam portion co-perating-With'said pin for disengaging such pawlfrom its ratchet Wheel during the latter part-of its platen-turningexcursion, and the other pawl adapted to turn said platen forwardandtwice as far during the return stroke of the rock shaft; withprovision for disengaging the last mentionedpawl from its ratchetz'ittheend of its platen-turning excursion; and a settahle lever having a partto limit the stroke of the last mentioned pawl and a part to engage andhold out of action the other pawl.

ROBERT L. MULLER.

